A Chinese playground

The hard indoor court, perfect for his game

We’re looking at a radical clash of styles that works to the disadvantage of the bookmakers’ favorite. Antonia (Tonka) needs time to set up her variations and build her game, but the BT Arena court is a real particle accelerator. Antonia’s loss to Cocciaretto showed that she can lose her bearings under constant pressure. Yue Yuan is not just going to run; she’s going to attack every short ball.

The Chinese player’s performance against Swiatek showed that she has reached a new level in terms of intensity. She has that rare ability to take the ball at the top of the bounce and redirect it down the lines without giving her opponent time to get organized. In this indoor setting, Antonia’s style is likely to be smothered by Yue Yue’s relentless pace. The market’s mistake is overrating the Croatian’s Australian peak form while ignoring that her “construction” game is the exact opposite of what you need to produce to win in Cluj.